手指长短预测学习成绩

LONDON, May 23--A quick look at the lengths of children's index and ring fingers can be used to predict how well students will perform on SATs, new research claims. 

    美国科学家通过研究发现，那些无名指比食指长的儿童，长大后在大学入学考试中，理科的成绩很可能会比文科好。反过来，对于那些食指比无名指长的儿童来说，他们在阅读、写作和口语科目的成绩要比数学成绩好。

    美国一项新的研究发现，只要看看儿童的食指和无名指的长度，就能够预测他长大后参加大学入学考试的成绩好不好。无名指比食指长的儿童，长大后理科的成绩可能会比文科好；反过来，食指比无名指长的儿童文科的成绩好一些。领导这项研究的美国巴夫大学心理学教授马克·布鲁斯南表示，他们通过研究发现，不同水平的雄性激素和雌性激素对手指的长度产生影响，而手指的长度也会反映出大脑的发育程度。布鲁斯南表示，如果胎儿在子宫里受到雄性激素的刺激，将有助大脑内负责管辖空间和数学能力的区域的发育，而雄性激素也会使得人的无名指更长一些。同样道理，雌性激素有助胎儿大脑内负责管辖语言能力的区域发育，并使得人的食指比无名指长。为了研究儿童手指长度与美国大学入学考试成绩之间的关联，布鲁斯南和他的同事把儿童的手掌影印下来，并以精确到0.01毫米的测量器量度他们食指和无名指的长度，并以两只手指长度的比例作为雄性激素和雌性激素水平的一个参照指标。

    随后，研究人员对这些儿童的考试成绩进行追踪调查，再将之与他们的手指比例进行比较，结果发现，无名指更长的儿童明显数学成绩更好，而食指更长的儿童明显文科成绩更好。布鲁斯南表示，手指长度比例有趣地揭示了人大脑认知领域的内在能力。这项研究报告将在《英国心理学期刊》发表。布鲁斯南还计划进一步研究手指长度比例与其他认知能力、事业发展道路以及技术恐惧症和阅读困难症等症状的关联。

还能揭示男性攻击性

    早在一个多世纪以前，科学家就发现了两性在手指长度比例上的差异。此前也有研究显示，男性无名指的长度相对于食指的长度越长，这名男性的攻击性也更强。而女性则没有类似的关联。科学家表示，这是因为无名指越比食指长，说明胎儿在子宫里受到雄性激素的刺激越多。

    科学家表示，这项研究结果说明人类的暴力行为受到生物学因素的影响。但是，科学家同时也提醒说，手指长度比例体现的只是短时间范围内的行为表现。此外，试验中存在5%的偏差，因此不应该应用在具体的人身上。

Kids with longer ring fingers compared to index fingers are likely to have higher math scores than literacy or verbal scores on the college entrance exam, while children with the reverse finger-length ratio are likely to have higher reading and writing, or verbal, scores versus math scores. 2570

Scientists have known that different levels of the hormones testosterone and estrogen in the womb account for the different finger lengths, which are a reflection of areas of the brain that are more highly developed than others, said psychologist Mark Brosnan of the University of Bath, who led the study.

Exposure to testosterone in the womb is said to promote development of areas of the brain often associated with spatial and mathematical skills, he said. That hormone makes the ring finger longer. Estrogen exposure does the same for areas of the brain associated with verbal ability and tends to lengthen the index finger relative to the ring finger.

To test the link to children's scores on the College Board's Scholastic Assessment Test (for which the name has changed a number of times in the past 100 years), Brosnan and his colleagues made photocopies of children's palms and measured the length of their index and ring fingers using calipers accurate to 0.01 millimeters. They used the finger-length ratios as a proxy for the levels of testosterone and estrogen exposure.

The researchers then looked at boys' and girls' test performances separately and compared them to finger-length ratio measurements. They found a clear link between high prenatal testosterone exposure, indicated by the longer index finger compared to the ring finger, and higher scores on the math SAT.

Similarly, they found higher literacy SAT scores for the girls among those who had lower prenatal testosterone exposure, as indicated by a shorter ring finger compared with the index finger.

The researchers also compared the finger-lengths ratios to all the children's SAT scores and found that a relatively longer ring finger--indicating greater prenatal exposure to testosterone--meant a wider gap in scores for math versus literacy (writing and critical reading).

"Finger ratio provides us with an interesting insight into our innate abilities in key cognitive areas," Brosnan said, in a prepared statement. The results will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the British Journal of Psychology.

In the future, his team will see if finger-length ratios are related to other cognitive and behavioral issues, such as technophobia, career paths and possibly dyslexia.